One of the things I and many others have said about Breaking Bad is that the time seems to fly by when you’re watching it — it often doesn’t feel like you’ve just watched an hour of television, commercials and all, when an episode ends. With that said, when the show broke for commercial after the knife fight scene at the house that ended with Walt taking Holly, I thought the show was over. It felt, at that point, like more than hour had passed. Looking back on it, I think that was wishful thinking on my part.

In other words, I just couldn’t take it anymore, it was all too painful, and it’s to know that I’m in good company in that regard: Betsy Brandt had trouble watching her own show that night.

GQ: How are you recovering from Sunday night?

Brandt: All through yesterday, I just felt hung over. I should tell you, it’s so touching, the response we’ve gotten from people. And I just love Hank. I mean, I know Dean Norris is fine and healthy, but it makes me sad that Hank isn’t with us anymore.

GQ: Did you watch the episode live?

Brandt: I couldn’t watch that moment. Couldn’t watch it. I had to leave the room and make noise so I didn’t hear it. And then I asked my husband if it was okay to come back in the room. I still, actually, have not seen the moment where Hank was shot in Season 3. I knew he was going to be okay after that, but I just—I cannot watch it. So I came back in the living room—we’re living in a little apartment in New York—and we’re watching, and then I see the part where he’s laying there and they drag his body. And that keeps flashing in my head. That was disturbing enough! I couldn’t handle the other. I would have missed that too, had I known when that was coming.

I feel you, Betsy/Marie. I feel you. But at the same time, Sunday night can’t get here soon enough. That probably makes no sense but if you watch Breaking Bad you know what I’m talking about.

For me, the most brutal part was how the Nazi doesn’t even wait for Hank to finish his line “Do what you’re gonna do” before shooting him. The abruptness of that moment has stuck with me more than anything from last week.

I didn’t take it as brutal, I saw it as almost merciful- Why give Hank even more time to think about what’s about to happen, that long awkward pause as you wait for the trigger to be pulled? Mid sentence, BAM it just happens. Not like Hank was saying something profound; he just wanted it over with.

I just realized that the episode before Ozymandias, where Hank tells Marie that he’s got
Walt in custody is (I think) the first time in the entire series where she’s not wearing purple. She’s wearing all black.

I respect Betsy Brandt as an actor and a dramatic craftswoman. However, I would also vigorously [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] until her forehead caved in while wearing a [REDACTED] uniform and hollering [REDACTED] and shooting a submachine gun into the sky as the northern lights danced in the ionosphere and packs of wolves howled at the moon, daring it to crash into the earth for all its heavenly mockery.